Green Bay Packers 2013 Breakout Candidate: Jarrett Boykin

By Brad Berreman

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The story of training camp thus far for the Green Bay Packershas centered around injuries, with left tackle Brian Bulaga suffering a torn ACL last Monday that will sideline him for the season. Things got worse the next day with the news wide receiver Jordy Nelson will miss the entire preseason after undergoing knee surgery, and his status for the start of the season is still up in the air.

The Packers also lost Greg Jennings in free agency this offseason, so what once looked like a talent-rich group of wide receivers now has a real chance to look thin going into Week 1 against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. Could someone make a move for a significant role between now and then?

Jarrett Boykin went undrafted out of Virginia Tech, where he is the school’s all-time leader in receptions (184) and receiving yards (2,884), in 2012 and made the Packers’ final roster on the heels of a strong preseason after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. But he did not see a lot of action as a rookie, catching five passes for 27 yards in 10 games played along with five tackles on special teams.

Boykin has been considered the front runner to become Green Bay’s fourth wide receiver, and as long as that holds true through the rest of the preseason he would theoretically become No. 3 on the depth chart if Nelson misses any regular season games. That potential role automatically raises Boykin’s chances to produce at a high level, and his size (6’2″, 218 lbs.) could make him a sneaky red zone option for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Brad Berreman is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.